What is the Divine Mercy Message? 

The Divine Mercy Message is to Trust in God's unconditional Love and Mercy and practice merciful love to our neighbour in deed, word and prayer. Jesus told St Faustina that He requires these three acts of mercy from us... "In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy...even the strongest faith is of no avail without works." (Diary 742)

St Faustina wrote in her diary, Divine Mercy In My Soul, "...there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray - that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict.' (Diary 1158)

She also wrote, 'Only that soul who wants it will be damned, for God condemns no one.' (Diary 1452)

The following Gospel verses provide insight into God's Divine Mercy, albeit a Mystery:

• "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life" (Jn 3:16)
• "This is My Commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you " (Jn 15:12)
  
• "Be merciful just as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36)
• "...forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...for if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Mt 6:12-14)

Other passages in the Old Testament depicting God's infinite mercy include:

• Exodus 34:6 - when God declared on Mt Sinai that He was a "God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness...forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..."
• Jeremiah 31:3 - "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."

Jesus shared with St Faustina His desires and promises which are all captured in her diary.

What is the Divine Mercy Devotion? 

The Divine Mercy devotion is a devotion of Trust, teaching us to appeal to God's Mercy and count on it. It is a special offering we make of ourselves in response to Our Lord's Divine Love.

God's great commandment, 'love your neighbour as yourself' is reinforced in the devotion, which teaches us to love our enemies or those who have hurt us. Likewise, Blessed John Paul II continues to teach us to "forgive at the time you are hurting" in his Encyclical Letter, Dives In Misericordia. 

This shows the relationship between the concept of Love and the concept of Mercy, revealing the true meaning of selfless Love manifested as Mercy.

As Jesus told St Faustina... 

"Tell the world about My Mercy and My Love...The flames of mercy are burning in me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them...Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My Heart, and I will fill it with Peace."

He continued, "Tell (all people) ...that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls." (Diary 1074)

The Heart of The Divine Mercy devotion is... 

As Jesus told St Faustina:

• "The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is - trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them." (Diary 1578)
• "No soul will be justified unless it turns with confidence to My mercy..." (Diary 570)
• "Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy" (Diary 300)